Combat the flu this winter
Category News
We’re more than a decade into the 21st century, and scientists are no closer to that most elusive goal: a cure for the common cold. If anything, cold viruses seem more formidable than ever. The sheer number of different cold viruses is the reason we keep catching colds, season after season. Adults average three to four colds a year, surveys suggest. Children average six rhinovirus infections a year - that explains why people who have kids or spend a lot of time with them are at heightened risk of catching colds.
But there are simple ways to feel better and minimise the time you are down, as well as tips to avoid catching it in the first place.
1. Stay home and get plenty of rest
Mind your flu manners! On the first day you have symptoms, call your work or school and tell them you won’t be coming in for a few days. You're sick - and very contagious! Take advantage of down time and give your body some much-needed rest. Resting when you first come down with a cold or the flu helps your body direct its energy toward the immune battle. This battle taxes the body, so give it a little help by lying down under a blanket.
2. Drink Up
Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration, keep the throat moist, and soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat, so get plenty. They keep your respiratory system hydrated and turn that nasty, thick mucus into a thin liquid you can cough out. Try water, sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, or ginger ale. Your mother's chicken soup might help, too!
If you're so congested you can't sleep at night, try a hot toddy, the age-old remedy:
Make a cup of hot herbal tea. Add 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, some ginger shavings, and one small shot of whiskey or brandy if you wish (adults only!). As an optional extra you can add a paracetamol. Limit yourself to one, though. Too much alcohol inflames the membranes in your nose and throat.
3. Sleep with an extra pillow
This will help with the drainage of nasal passages. If the angle is too awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope.
4. Get steamy
You can loosen up your stuffy nose if you breathe in some steam. Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe slowly through your nose. Add 1 teaspoon of an over-the-counter menthol rub and breathe in the steam for several minutes until you feel better. You can also add a few drops of menthol or eucalyptus oil. They can open your airways, ease congestion, and make it easier to breathe.
5. Use saline spray or rinse, both can help break up the congestion in your nose.
If you go the rinsing route, try this recipe: Mix 3 teaspoons of iodine-free salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add 1 teaspoon of this mixture to a cup of lukewarm boiled or distilled water. Next, fill a bulb syringe with this solution (or use a Neti pot). Lean your head over a basin and gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Then treat the other nostril. Always use distilled or previously boiled water when you make this solution, otherwise you might create an infection. Also, rinse the bulb or Neti pot after each use and leave open to air dry.
Saline nose drops or sprays are available over-the-counter at any pharmacy. They work, they’re safe, even for kids. Put several drops into one nostril, and gently blow the mucus and saline out. Repeat the process on the other side until both are unblocked.
6. Use mentholated balm
Try a small dab under your nose to open up breathing passages. Menthol, eucalyptus, and camphor all have mild numbing ingredients that may help relieve the pain of a nose rubbed raw.
7. Treat aches and fever Got fever?
That’s because your body has turned up the heat to fight off the virus. Treat it and the aches that come with it with over-the-counter medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen - ask your doctor which is right for you. Never give aspirin to anyone younger than 19. It’s linked to a condition known as Reye's syndrome, a serious illness that can damage the brain and liver.
8. Take care of your cough
Over-the-counter treatments can calm your hack. Try an expectorant, which turns mucus into liquid so you can cough it up. Don’t give over-the-counter cough or cold medicine to children under 4.
Remember that coughing and sneezing are still the top ways of giving someone else your cold. People can breathe in the germs from your cough or sneeze. Viruses can also be spread by touching contaminated surfaces, shaking hands, and other personal contact. If you get cold viruses on your fingers, you might touch your nose or eyes - the two places the virus can most easily enter your body. From there, cold viruses quickly reach nasal passages, where they take hold and begin multiplying. So carry tissues, wash your hands, and take an immune booster through winter to support your system.
A mild infection can evolve into something more serious, so if you have severe symptoms or feeling sicker with each passing day, go see a doctor!
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Author: Georgina Roberts
